This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
The Internet of Things (IoT) promises to transform present day appliances into smart ones by augmenting them with sensing, computation and communication capabilities. One difficulty, however, is that smart devices need to be programmed in order to reach their full potential. In the case of a smart device that is mass produced and deployed by the millions, it is feasible to engage a team of professional programmers to program the devices. On the other hand, in the case of a custom-developed smart device that is to be deployed singularly or in small numbers, it is no longer feasible to rely on professional programmers.
Stated differently, the current manner for developing and deploying mass produced smart devices does not scale to fill the need for thousands or millions of special purpose or custom devices. There are simply not enough professional programmers to do the job. This leaves the end users or novice developers in the position of having to program their own devices. Unfortunately, the technical challenge is too great. Therefore, until this changes, the Internet of Things promise of ubiquitous smart devices is just a pipe dream.